Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Community cleans up what Crowley left an eyesore

In December 2009 our Council Member, Elizabeth Crowley, organized a press conference on the corner of Metropolitan Avenue and Fresh Pond Road to call for the area to be made into a community garden. On the site was an abandoned newsstand, a graffiti covered 200 ft. LIRR retaining wall, weeds and a good deal of dumping. Crowley invited State Senator Joe Addabbo, Assembly Member Mike Miller, Community Board 5 District Manager Gary Giordano and community leaders. After the press conference nothing happened. Surprise, surprise. Is anyone out there shocked by the inaction? The elected officials got some face time in the Dec. 13, 2009 Daily News with the headline "Blighted area at Metropolitan Ave., Fresh Pond Rd. intersection to become green site." However as usual, the community once again got nothing except a lingering eyesore.

On Saturday, May 18th, volunteers from the Juniper Park Civic Association and the Juniper Juniors took matters in their own hands. About 20 volunteers descended on the area armed with brooms, garbage bags, weed wackers and 15 gallons of puritan stone colored paint and transformed the area.

The JPCA funded the clean-up. Council Member Crowley did not.

Special thanks to JPCA Board Member Len Santoro and his wife Barbara for organizing another great cleanup.
Can anyone out there name one - just one - thing that Liz Crowley has done to improve her district?

The railroad owns the land under the defunct newsstand and the closed Mobil station. You should blame those sh!tbags too.

CVS brightened the corner when Meyer Chevy went under. Now all the community has to do is get rid of the car wash which has it's own lane detour on Fresh Pond Road that causes north bound traffic to jam up.

Also, what happened to the plan for building a big LIRR station at the site?

I love it when elected officials call press conferences and then don't follow up. Crowley, Miller, Addabbo and all the rest are do nothing seat warmers. Bravo to the Juniper Valley Civic Association, they don't take crap from anyone especially political hacks like Elizabeth Crowley.

Unfortunately we have had a slew of do nothing politicans. Never mind cleaning this area up, how about finally fixing the bridge. At anonymous # 5, that's not a lane detour for the carwash, that barrier covers a hole thru the bridge.

"There never were plans to build a big LIRR station at the site. What purpose would that serve?"

The City has a Department of Corrections Academy at Rentar Plaza which is about a quarter mile up Metro from Fresh Pond Road. As you well know that area is a pain to get to because the railroad and the Cemetery cut off access from the south and narrow local streets. The locals tried to interest the MTA into building a LIRR station there and hoped the city would get on board. They figured with the closing of the Glendale, Bushwick Junction (the official name of Fresh Pond), Haberman and Penny Bridge they might have a shot.

The east corners of Fresh Pond and Metro looks like shit. Plus the car wash doesn't make it any better. Buttner Roofing is gone, Grandview Dairy is gone, Nabisco is gone, Gottlieb Hardware is gone. So is Charlie Rayner's Bar. No more Riley's and Georges diner. Myrtle Motors is history as well as Carl's De Old Homestead bar/restaurant. The two old bars on the corners of Fresh Pond and Metro and Bleecker disappeared years ago. the last to bid goodbye was Karl Ehmer. No more smoked meat aroma to settle over the surrounding blocks in the evening.

However there is a growing and vibrant Polish community that has migrated south from Maspeth that is breathing new life into the old 'hood. And there is a new school being built down Metro toward Flushing Ave.

"...that's not a lane detour for the carwash, that barrier covers a hole thru the bridge."

Several years ago there was a rash of accidents involving the dingbat car wash attendants driving cars out into Fresh Pond to be dried. The barrier was erected to prevent future problems. There might be a hole in the road/overpass but that should have been fixed long ago.

"Once again, I ask why they would want to reopen the LIRR there. The line runs between Jamaica and LIC and doesn't go into Manhattan."

With the closing of all the local LIRR stations it was believed that one could be resurrected to service that portion of Queens and the Academy since many of the correction recruits came from Long Island. No such luck.

With the closing of all the local LIRR stations it was believed that one could be resurrected to service that portion of Queens and the Academy since many of the correction recruits came from Long Island. No such luck.----------------------------------Have you seen the current Corrections Recruits? They don't really look like they are all coming from LI, unless they are all from Hempstead. You are probably thinking about NYPD recruits. But then again, looking at their recent new hires, THEY don't seem to be coming from LI anymore either.

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